The People Inside Your Head [Inside Out]

Dream Productions

Dream Productions was amazing. It was an entire movie studio... inside of my mind. Mind workers ran around, some carrying movie props, others hauling around studio lights. The walls were covered in movie posters... posters of things I'd seen in my dreams. I saw green screens, cameras, script writers...

"This is the studio that makes your dreams," Disgust told me.

"A movie studio makes my dreams..." I gaped.

Disgust grimaced. "You'd think they'd be a little better at it."

"Disgust, where's your friend...?" Sadness looked around.

"This way," Disgust strutted forward.

We made our way through Dream Productions. Much like at the SIS, I wanted to stop and stare at absolutely everything. The space was large and grandiose, stretching out in many different colourful directions. The people, the posters, the lights, the camera, the action... but time was of the essence. We had to keep moving.

As we continued through the movie studio, slowly, the crowd shrunk in size. There were less posters, less props, less action, until finally, we reached the back of the entire building. There was nothing there except for a simple red door. It was like the Truman Show, where the main protagonist left his fake world behind through a simple door into reality.

If reality was anything better...

Disgust pushed the door open; we came into an open-garage like space. It was a junkyard: movie props were lying around, there were piles of rubbish, furniture, and of course, the classic white picket fence. Disgust wrinkled her nose.

Among all these things was a golden caravan. The windows were boarded shut and the door was covered in scratches... but I could tell, it had been beautiful once. The type of caravan a movie star would live in.

"This is it?" I asked.

Sadness frowned. "Um, it looks so..."

Disgust sighed. "I know."

She walked up to the scratch-covered door and knocked. No answer.

"Um..." I made a face.

Disgust grunted. She knocked again.

"Just a minute, dear," a melodious voice chirped from inside.

"That voice is familiar..." Sadness tapped her chin.

Suddenly, the golden door swung open. Standing there was a tall, pink-skinned woman with a messy brown bob. She was wearing a shimmering blue dress, her eyes a lighter blue. Her pupils were hearts, and she wore dark pink lipstick. She was beautiful, glamorous, but there was something... unhinged about it. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I automatically took a step back.

The woman beamed down at Disgust. "Ah, Disgust! Long time no see, hmm?"

"Yep," Disgust grunted. "Hello, Love."

The woman was at least two heads taller than Disgust. She leaned down, wrapping her arms around the green emotion. Disgust tch-ed, gently pushing her away.

"Oh!" Love gasped. "Sadness! So good to see you as well."

Sadness made a face, digging her heel into the ground. "Yeah..."

Then Love turned to me. Her eyes went huge. She was slightly taller than Joy; closer to my height than any of the others. Looking closer, I realised she was made of the same tiny particles as the emotions. And yet, I felt something else, too. She was... familiar from somewhere, but I couldn't remember...

"Edaliyah?" she gasped. "Is that really you?!"

"Yep, it's me," I nodded. "I'm here."

"But how?" she asked. "We all heard what happened with that crash..."

"Let me explain," Disgust stepped forward.

And so, Love was caught up to speed on everything going on. She had an odd expression on her face for a while. She looked me up and down with a tilted head.

"I see," she mused. "And so, you've come to me to help you return to the waking world."

I nodded.

"You've come to the right place, my dear," Love clapped her hands. "I know just how to help you!"

She twirled around, her dress moving in the wind.

"Do you know the Subconscious?" she asked.

"Oh no..." Sadness muttered.

"You mean, like, my subconscious thought?" I asked.

"Sort of," Love giggled. "The Subconscious is in the deepest part of your mind... and thus, holds your deepest and darkest fears. Your trauma, your fear, your pain... everything is there, my dear."

"Oh..." I trembled.

"Love, come on..." Disgust made a face. "Don't frighten her."

"Give me a chance, Disgust," Love waved her hands, one of her eyes twitching. "Ahem. So, the Subconscious. Dastardly, horrible place. But in its depths is the cause of your coma. Go inside, unlock it, and you will return to the waking world."

"What exactly are we looking for?" I asked.

"A giant lock," Love explained. "You see, your mind has been locked up, which is why you are not in the waking world at this current point of time. Of course, a lock cannot be opened without a key!"

She waltzed back into her caravan, returning a brief moment later with a tiny, silver key.

"Use this on the lock," she told me. "And hurrah! You'll be awake once more."

I held the teeny key in my palm. It was silver, engrained with blue jewels. I placed it in my pocket, gulping.

"You're really sure this'll work...?" I asked.

"Of course it will," Love grinned once more. "I want you to return home safe and sound, just as the rest of us do."

I gazed at her once more. In some way, she reminded me of Joy... the same bubbly, cheerful nature, but unlike Joy, there was something... off about it. I shook it off. I was probably just being paranoid, right?

"This had better work, Love," Disgust crossed her arms.

"Why would you ever doubt me, Disgust?" Love giggled. "We've always been there for each other, have we not?"

Disgust grimaced. "Well, yes, but..."

Sadness coughed. "Uh... I'm surprised you're here, Love..."

"Hmm?" Love asked.

Sadness looked away. "I thought after what Joy did... well, nevermind... we should get going."

"Huh?" I asked. "What did Joy do?"

At the mention of Joy, Love's body stiffened up. Her eyes went bloodshot; her arms were shaking.

"Doesn't matter," Disgust waved her arms. "Come on. The sooner we do this, the sooner Ed gets to go home."

She ushered Sadness and I away, gazing over her shoulder. Love stood there, smiling once more.

"Goodbye, my loves!" she chorused. "I'll be seeing you soon, hmm?"

"What does she mean by that?" I asked, as we returned to the red door.

Disgust sighed. "Nevermind it. Love... is eccentric, to say the least. But she did help us."

Sadness dug her hands into her shorts. I bit back my nerves. It was fine. We were on the right track, weren't we?